Monday 23 May 2022 04:37 PM Planets orbiting binary Sun-like stars could be prime targets in the search for ... trends now
Planets orbiting binary Sun-like stars could be prime targets in the search for alien life, a new study has suggested.
Since the only known planet with life, the Earth, orbits the sun, planetary systems around stars of similar size are obvious targets for astronomers trying to locate extraterrestrials.
But now, researchers say worlds surrounding binary systems – featuring two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other – may offer the best way forward in the hunt.
That is because nearly half of Sun-size stars are in binary systems where the energy extends the habitable region further away and makes it larger, according to University of Copenhagen experts.
These pairs of stars heat each other's worlds — meaning they have a greater chance of being orbited by one with liquid water.
Planets orbiting binary stars (pictured) could be prime targets in the search for alien life, a new study has suggested
Researchers studied a young binary star about 1,000 light years from Earth named NGC 1333-IRAS2A (pictured), which is surrounded by a disc of gas and dust
'The result is exciting since the search for extra-terrestrial life will be equipped with several new, extremely powerful instruments within the coming years,' said project leader Professor Jes Kristian Jorgensen.
'This enhances the significance of understanding how planets are formed around different types of stars.
'Such results may pinpoint places which would be especially interesting to probe for the existence of life.'
The discovery is based on observations made by the ALMA telescopes in Chile of a young binary star about 1,000 light years from Earth.
Named NGC 1333-IRAS2A, it is surrounded by a disc of gas and dust.
The team of researchers created computer simulations going backwards and forwards in time.
Co-author Dr Rajika Kuruwita, also from the University Copenhagen, said: 'The observations allow us to zoom in on the stars and study how dust and gas move towards the disc.
'The simulations will tell us which physics are at play, and how the stars have evolved up till the snapshot we observe, and their future evolution.'
Notably, the movement of gas and dust does not follow a continuous pattern. For 'relatively' short spells over thousands of years it becomes very strong.
The binary star becomes up to one hundred times brighter until it returns to its regular state.
Experts think that this cyclic pattern can be explained by duality because the two stars encircle one another.
At given intervals their joint gravity will affect the surrounding disc in a way which causes huge amounts of material to fall towards the star.
Dr Kuruwita said: 'The falling material will trigger a significant heating. The heat will make the star much brighter than usual.
'These bursts
